When Will The Killers’ New Album Be Released? Everything We Know So Far About the Band’s Fifth Record

It’s official: The Killers are currently in the studio to record their fifth album. It will be their first since 2012’s ‘Battle Born‘ and, as with any eagerly anticipated record, there’s been a ton of rumours about it flying around. Are they working with Elton John? Is it gonna sound like ‘Hot Fuss‘? What’s Ryan Tedder got to do with it? Here’s everything we know so far.

What will it sound like?

The band debuted a snippet of a new track that could be called ‘One More Song’ at a show in Windsor, Ontario in June 2016. It was played by a solo Brandon on piano and featured lyrics like “Have all these years been worth it?/Am I the great regret?” and “Have all the songs been written?/Oh, I just need one to get through to you“. If it makes it to the new record, expect it to be a lot more fleshed out, but it could signal a reflective kind of songwriting from Flowers.

Drummer Ronnie Vannucci Jr. told DIY ahead of re-entering the studio he expected the band’s new sessions to be “surprising” because “when we get in [the studio] we come at it from one direction, and then it’ll go another direction”.

Fansite The Killers News cites Alt Nation radio host Jenny Eliscu as saying the band had told her ahead of their set at Firefly Festival in 2015. they were looking to get back to their early influences. Flowers told The Sun the group were aiming for a “powerful rock vibe” and also told Loaded: “What I want is to take the experience of playing over a thousand shows and mix that with the enthusiasm we had making our first album, ‘Hot Fuss’.”

In that same interview, the frontman revealed the band had been working on a new song called ‘Look Alive’, which is about a soldier suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder. Could this album be more politically-minded?

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In a recent interview with Q Magazine, the boys spilled the beans on how they’re getting on with the new album. Flowers revealed that it’s perhaps their heaviest yet: “there are moments that feel heavier than anything we’ve ever done, not that we’re the heaviest band in the world, but they have a finesse because of our experience,” said Flowers. “There’s also really beautiful things. Lyrically, it’s really close to home.”

Flowers also said that one new song, ‘Run For Cover’, has been knocking around in the studio since ‘Day & Age’, but that it could finally be on the new album – “I never got the lyrics right and I think I’m gonna get it right this time. ‘Run For Cover’ looks like it’s got a good shot [of being on the album].”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zPJQQeeYDYI

Who are they working with?

In his interview with DIY, Vannucci Jr. said rumours about the band working with Elton John were “just rumours” and that they were “we’re starting to work with another person now”, but didn’t want to reveal who it was.

Previous reports claimed that the band were looking to work with producers Flood and Alan Moulder again, but the drummer said they hadn’t “figured it out yet” and will “always try and work with” Moulder.

Flowers confirmed that the group were working with producer Jacknife Lee (U2, R.E.M., One Direction) on the record, by recommendation of Bono and that “we ended up getting on really well and it’s been cooking up ever since.”

Flowers released his second solo album, ‘The Desired Effect‘, with which he scored his second solo Number One album in the UK. Flowers performed at Barack Obama‘s National Clean Energy Summit in 2015 and for members of the Royal Family at the Royal Variety Performance in the same year.

Vannucci Jr. also released his second album with his own side project Big Talk in 2015. ‘Straight In, No Kissin’‘ followed the band’s 2011 self-titled debut and was partially recorded at The Killers’ Battle Born studios in Las Vegas.

Stoermer also performed with Dhani Harrison on Late Night With Conan O’Brien on two songs during the show’s George Harrison week.

Guitarist Dave Keuning, meanwhile, hasn’t released any music outside of The Killers, but he told Australian site Tone Deaf he had been working on music that could potentially be for a solo or side project. He also made a guest appearance with Imagine Dragons on their song ‘Nothing Left To Say’ when they performed in San Diego in 2014.

Will they tour this year?

They’re currently lined up for several dates across the globe in the summer.